Door latch



Oct. 11, 1938'. E. H. WATERMAN DOOR LATCH Filed Dec. 50, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 11, 1938. E. H. WATIERMAN DOdR LATCH Filed Dec. 50, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v EDW/N H. MTEEMJV,

Patented Oct. 11, 1938 Ul xiif'iio STATES "PATENT oFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention particularly relates to an adjustable door latch which is adapted to be used on heavy doors, such as those on railway hopper cars.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a door latch which can be installed with a minimum amount of labor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a door latch with a hook member which has a plurality of positions in which it can be assembled.

The foregoing and further objects will be made apparent by referring to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of one embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation of my improved door latch after the initial step in the assemblythereof Figure 3 is a transverse sectional elevation on line IIIIII of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an elevation of my improved door latch after being further assembled; and

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are elevations of modifications of my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 indicates generally a door latch which is mounted on a hopper 4 of a railway hopper car (not shown). The hopper 4 has a sideplate 6 and a door 8 which is hinged at its upper edge. A filler-plate ID, or other suitable means, is secured to' the side-plate 6 to provide a base for the remainder of the door latch 2. The filler-.

plate I0 has holes II, a hole I2, and a hole I3 therein which align with holes previously made in the side-plate 6. Initially the filler-plate I0 is secured to the side-plate by a rivet, or other suitable means, through the hole I3 and thereby held in its ultimate position.

A hollow trunnion I4 is formed integral with the filler-plate I6 and surrounds the hole I2. A hook I6, having a bearing aperture I8, is fulcrumed on the trunnion I4. The hook I6 is adapted to be adjusted relative to a keeper-bar I'l secured to the door 8. The keeper-bar I! is fixedly positioned on the door 8 and is adapted to be engaged by the hook I6. However, relatively large tolerances are permitted in constructing the hopper 4 so that the position of the trunnion I4 relative to the keeper-bar I'I varies considerably in different hoppers. Therefore, the position of the hook I6 on the trunnion I4 must be variable in order to position the hook I6 thereon in proper relation to the keeper-bar I1. To pivotally mount the hook I6 on the trunnion I4, the hook may be provided with a bearlengthwise of the bearing aperture I8 in the hook I6, as shown in Figures 6 and 7 so as to provide for adjustment of the hook relative to the keeperbar I'I without the use of separate shims.

A bracket 24, having holes 26 therein which are in the same relative position as the holes II and I2 in the filler-plate I0, may be used as the outer member of the door latch 2. Rivets, or other suitable means, are placed through the holes 26, II and I2 and the side-plate 6 to permanently secure the door latch 2 to the hopper 4. The bracket 24 may pivotally carry a pawl 28 which is adapted to bear upon the hook I6 and lock it in engagement with the keeper-bar IT. A flange 30, having an aperture therein, may be associated with the bracket 24 to facilitate the use of a crow-bar, or the like, in closing the door 8. The motion of the hook I6 may be limited by a stop 32 which is carried by the bracket 24.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A door latch including a filler-plate adapted to be individually secured adjacent a door, a trunnion associated with said filler-plate, a hook having a bearing aperture therein, a bearing block mounted in said bearing aperture and adjustable lengthwise thereof, said bearing block being fulcrumed on said trunnion, and shims for adjustably positioning said hook on said trunnion.

- 2. A door latch including a filler-plate adapted to be individually secured adjacent a door, a trunnion associated with said filler-plate, a hook having a bearing aperture therein, a bearing block mounted in said bearing aperture and adjustable lengthwise thereof, said bearing block being adapted to be fulcrumed on said trunnion, shims for adjustably positioning said bearing block in said bearing aperture, a bracket for holding said hook and said bearing block on said trunnion, and

aperture therein, a bearing block mounted in said bearing aperture and adjustable lengthwise thereof, said bearing block being fulcrumed on said trunnion, and shims for adjustably positioning said bearing block in said bearing aperture whereby said hook can be properly positioned relative to said keeper-bar.

EDWIN H. WATERMAN. 

